wfn.org | Faith and Life Committee Rejects Resolution on Professor

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

18-June-1997 
GA97057 
 
            Faith and Life Committee Rejects Resolution on 
              Professor Candidates' Statements of Belief 
 
                          by Julian Shipp 
 
SYRACUSE--The Assembly Committee on Christian Faith and Life and 
Theological Institutions recommended June 17 that the 209th General 
Assembly not approve Commissioners' Resolution 97-32, a controversial 
decree requiring a statement of belief from new seminary professor 
candidates. 
 
    The resolution was drafted by the Rev. Jim Tilley of Blackhawk 
Presbytery and Carl Schartner of Pittsburgh Presbytery. Proponents of the 
resolution say it is needed to ensure the essence of the Christian faith 
and quality of education in the denomination's 10 theological institutions, 
while opponents say the decree threatens basic academic freedom and is 
redundant due to existing tenureship requirements at the institutions. 
 
    Speaking in favor of the resolution, Schartner said, "there is growing 
concern among Presbyterians in the pews about the condition of our 
theological seminaries" and the measure would require future seminary 
professors to adhere to basic facets of the Christian faith as stated in 
the opening pages of the Book of Order (G-1.0100a, G-3.0102, and G-3.0103). 
 
    Asked why the denomination should not require adherence to the entire 
constitution or the Book of Confessions Schartner said he believed the Book 
of Confessions was "too Presbyterian" and the denomination could not afford 
to discourage candidates from other Christian denominations. 
 
     Schartner said it is naive to assume seminary professors being hired 
at PC(U.S.A.) seminaries naturally adhere to fundamental Christian truths. 
However, he declined to cite specific examples for fear of creating 
"further division." 
 
    Schartner said he does not believe academic freedom is an issue here 
since many seminaries of various denominations require common statements of 
belief from new professors. Moreover, he said, such statements were common 
practice at all PC(U.S.A.) seminaries many years ago. 
 
    Speaking against the resolution and on behalf of the denomination's 
theological institutions, Dr. Tom Gillespie, president of Princeton 
Theological Seminary, said the seminary's task is to "keep the healthy 
tension of the exercise of academic freedom on the one hand and the 
covenant of faith and confessional fidelity on the other" and that passage 
of this resolution would jeopardize that responsibility. 
 
    Gillespie said he believes the resolution is somewhat redundant since 
all of the denomination's theological schools currently require some sort 
of confessional statement from their faculty members. At Princeton, for 
example, Gillespsie said all tenured faculty have to respond to five 
questions, the first three of which are directly from the Book of Order. 
They include a belief in the triad of God and the lordship, deity and 
redeeming significance of Jesus Christ and adherence to the Holy 
Scriptures. 
 
    When asked why Princeton does not require tenured faculty to subscribe 
to the Book of Confessions, Gillespie said the institution has more than 12 
faculty members who are not Presbyterian, including four Lutherans, a 
Southern Baptist, a minister of the Church of Christ, a Canadian Baptist 
and more than two Episcopalians. 
 
    "Historically, every time we Presbyterians have attempted to define 
what the essential tenets are, we've gotten ourselves in trouble," 
Gillespie said. "I think that we would be getting ourselves in trouble by 
implementing this resolution." 
 
    Nonetheless, the Assembly commissioners will vote on the resolution 
this week. Schartner said while he was not surprised that committee members 
disapproved the resolution, he is aware of seminary professors who are also 
Assembly commissioners who agree with the problems raised in the 
resolution. 
 
    However, Schartner said it is difficult for seminary professors to 
speak about the issue for fear of jeopardizing their tenure and academic 
career. 

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